# CSS Gradient Border: 12 Techniques with Rounded Corners and Glow > Free CSS gradient border examples: border-image, padding-box, mask, SVG stroke, glow and rotating conic edges, plus Tailwind versions. Copy each one as shown. A shadcn/ui block from the [@weinc](https://we.inc/components?utm_source=shadcn.exchange) registry, listed on [shadcn.exchange](https://shadcn.exchange/r/weinc/css-gradient-border-collection-with-rounded-corners-animated-glow-and-copyable-css-or-tailwind). - Page, with a live preview: https://shadcn.exchange/r/weinc/css-gradient-border-collection-with-rounded-corners-animated-glow-and-copyable-css-or-tailwind - Screenshot: https://shadcn.exchange/shot/weinc/css-gradient-border-collection-with-rounded-corners-animated-glow-and-copyable-css-or-tailwind/light.png - Registry item: https://we.inc/r/css-gradient-border-collection-with-rounded-corners-animated-glow-and-copyable-css-or-tailwind.json - Listed: 2026-10-28, source last changed 2026-10-28 ## Install ```bash npx shadcn@latest add https://shadcn.exchange/r/weinc/css-gradient-border-collection-with-rounded-corners-animated-glow-and-copyable-css-or-tailwind.json ``` Run it in a project that has shadcn/ui set up. It adds the files below and installs what they depend on. ## Files ### `components/we-inc/css-gradient-border-collection-with-rounded-corners-animated-glow-and-copyable-css-or-tailwind.tsx` ```tsx import { createElement, useMemo, useRef, useState } from "react"; import type { ReactNode } from "react"; /* CSS gradient border collection. Every piece is written once as a small element tree. CSS pieces also carry a block of CSS written with "&" for the piece's own selector and "K-" as the prefix for keyframes, custom properties and SVG ids. The page scopes each one to its own class (gb-i0, gb-i1 ...) and Copy rewrites the same rules to a plain ".gradient-card" class, so what you copy is exactly what you see. Tailwind pieces copy their own classes. */ type Attrs = Record; type El = { t: string; c?: string; a?: Attrs; k: N[] }; type N = string | El; type Kid = N | { $: Attrs } | null | false | undefined; function h(t: string, c: string, ...kids: Kid[]): El { const el: El = { t, c: c || undefined, k: [] }; for (const kid of kids) { if (kid === null || kid === false || kid === undefined) continue; if (typeof kid === "object" && "$" in kid) el.a = { ...(el.a ?? {}), ...kid.$ }; else el.k.push(kid); } return el; } const $ = (a: Attrs) => ({ $: a }); const FAMILIES = { square: "Square corners", rounded: "Rounded corners", clear: "Transparent inside", glow: "Glow and motion", focus: "On focus", tailwind: "Tailwind only", } as const; type FamilyKey = keyof typeof FAMILIES; type Item = { f: FamilyKey; name: string; /** One line on how the technique works, shown on the tile. */ how: string; node: El; /** Scoped CSS. Absent for Tailwind pieces, whose classes live on the tree. */ css?: string; /** Tailwind classes for the preview stage behind the piece (not copied). */ stage?: string; }; /* ---------- shared base for the CSS pieces (copied with each one) ---------- */ const BASE = `& { position: relative; box-sizing: border-box; width: 100%; max-width: 290px; padding: 20px; border-radius: 16px; color: #d9dde5; background-color: #16181d; font: 400 14px/1.5 Inter, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", sans-serif; } & *, &::before, &::after { box-sizing: border-box; } & h3 { margin: 0; color: #fff; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; letter-spacing: -.01em; } & p { margin: 6px 0 0; color: #a7adb9; } & .eyebrow { margin: 0 0 8px; color: #c9ced8; font-size: 11px; font-weight: 600; letter-spacing: .12em; text-transform: uppercase; } @media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) { &, &::before, &::after, & * { animation: none !important; transition: none !important; } }`; const CHECK = "M5 12.5l4.5 4.5L19 7"; const tick = (cls: string) => h("svg", cls, $({ viewBox: "0 0 24 24", fill: "none", stroke: "currentColor", "stroke-width": "2.2", "stroke-linecap": "round", "stroke-linejoin": "round", "aria-hidden": "true" }), h("path", "", $({ d: CHECK }))); /* ---------- the collection ---------- */ const ITEMS: Item[] = [ { f: "square", name: "border-image", how: "One line, any gradient, but border-image ignores border-radius, so corners stay square.", node: h("article", "", h("p", "eyebrow", "Release 2.4"), h("h3", "", "Exports finish in the background"), h("p", "", "Large reports now build while you keep working. We email a link when the file is ready."), h("a", "more", $({ href: "#" }), "Read the changelog"), ), css: `& { border: 2px solid; border-image: linear-gradient(135deg, #f59e0b, #ef4444 50%, #8b5cf6) 1; border-radius: 0; } & .more { display: inline-flex; align-items: center; min-height: 40px; margin-top: 6px; color: #fbbf24; font-weight: 600; text-decoration: none; } & .more:hover { text-decoration: underline; } & .more:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #fbbf24; outline-offset: 2px; }`, }, { f: "square", name: "One side with border-image", how: "Give only the top a border width and border-image paints just that edge.", node: h("aside", "", $({ role: "note" }), h("p", "eyebrow", "Scheduled maintenance"), h("h3", "", "Sunday, 02:00 to 03:00 UTC"), h("p", "", "Dashboards stay readable. Imports and webhooks queue up and run when we are back."), ), css: `& { border-style: solid; border-width: 3px 0 0; border-image: linear-gradient(90deg, #22d3ee, #a78bfa, #f472b6) 1; border-radius: 0 0 14px 14px; background-color: #14161b; }`, }, { f: "rounded", name: "padding-box and border-box", how: "Two backgrounds: a solid fill clipped to the padding box over a gradient that reaches the border box.", node: h("article", "", h("p", "eyebrow", "Studio plan"), h("p", "price", h("strong", "", "$24"), " per seat, monthly"), h("ul", "", h("li", "", tick("tick"), "Unlimited projects"), h("li", "", tick("tick"), "Version history for 90 days"), h("li", "", tick("tick"), "Priority email support"), ), h("a", "cta", $({ href: "#" }), "Start the trial"), ), css: `& { border: 2px solid transparent; border-radius: 18px; background: linear-gradient(#16181d, #16181d) padding-box, linear-gradient(135deg, #22d3ee, #6366f1 55%, #d946ef) border-box; } & .price { margin: 0; color: #a7adb9; } & .price strong { color: #fff; font-size: 30px; font-weight: 650; letter-spacing: -.02em; margin-right: 4px; } & ul { display: grid; gap: 6px; margin: 14px 0 16px; padding: 0; list-style: none; } & li { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 8px; } & .tick { width: 16px; height: 16px; flex: none; color: #67e8f9; } & .cta { display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; min-height: 42px; border-radius: 10px; background: #e0e7ff; color: #1e1b4b; font-weight: 600; text-decoration: none; } & .cta:hover { background: #fff; } & .cta:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #a5b4fc; outline-offset: 3px; }`, }, { f: "rounded", name: "Gradient wrapper with padding", how: "An outer element is the gradient, its padding is the border width, and an inner element holds the fill.", node: h("figure", "", h("div", "inner", h("blockquote", "", "We moved the whole booking flow over in an afternoon, and support tickets about payments stopped."), h("figcaption", "", h("span", "avatar", $({ "aria-hidden": "true" }), "MO"), h("span", "", h("strong", "", "Maren Osei"), h("span", "role", "Operations, Tidewater Rentals")), ), ), ), css: `& { margin: 0; padding: 1.5px; border-radius: 18px; background: linear-gradient(160deg, #fcd34d, #fb7185 45%, #6366f1); } & .inner { padding: 20px; border-radius: 16.5px; background: #16181d; } & blockquote { margin: 0; color: #e5e7eb; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.55; } & figcaption { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 10px; margin-top: 16px; } & .avatar { display: grid; place-items: center; width: 36px; height: 36px; border-radius: 50%; background: #3f2a3a; color: #fecdd3; font-size: 12px; font-weight: 700; } & strong { display: block; color: #fff; font-size: 13px; } & .role { display: block; color: #a7adb9; font-size: 12px; }`, }, { f: "clear", name: "Mask on a pseudo-element", how: "A masked ::before keeps only the padding ring, so the middle stays see-through over photos and gradients.", stage: "bg-[radial-gradient(120%_90%_at_20%_10%,#3b2a5c_0%,#1c2038_45%,#0d1b2a_100%)]", node: h("button", "", $({ type: "button" }), h("span", "", "Book a walkthrough"), h("svg", "arrow", $({ viewBox: "0 0 24 24", fill: "none", stroke: "currentColor", "stroke-width": "2", "stroke-linecap": "round", "stroke-linejoin": "round", "aria-hidden": "true" }), h("path", "", $({ d: "M5 12h14M13 6l6 6-6 6" }))), ), css: `& { display: inline-flex; align-items: center; gap: 8px; width: auto; min-height: 46px; padding: 0 22px; border: 0; border-radius: 999px; background: transparent; color: #fff; font-weight: 600; cursor: pointer; } &::before { content: ""; position: absolute; inset: 0; padding: 1.5px; border-radius: inherit; background: linear-gradient(90deg, #fde68a, #f472b6, #a78bfa); -webkit-mask: linear-gradient(#000 0 0) content-box, linear-gradient(#000 0 0); -webkit-mask-composite: xor; mask: linear-gradient(#000 0 0) content-box exclude, linear-gradient(#000 0 0); pointer-events: none; } & .arrow { width: 18px; height: 18px; transition: transform .2s ease; } &:hover .arrow { transform: translateX(3px); } &:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #fde68a; outline-offset: 4px; }`, }, { f: "clear", name: "SVG stroke with dashes", how: "An SVG rect draws the edge, so you get rounded corners, dashes and a gradient stroke together.", node: h("div", "", h("svg", "edge", $({ "aria-hidden": "true" }), h("defs", "", h("linearGradient", "", $({ id: "K-grad", x1: "0", y1: "0", x2: "1", y2: "1" }), h("stop", "", $({ offset: "0", "stop-color": "#34d399" })), h("stop", "", $({ offset: "1", "stop-color": "#38bdf8" })), )), h("rect", "", $({ width: "100%", height: "100%", rx: "15", fill: "none", stroke: "url(#K-grad)", "stroke-width": "2", "stroke-dasharray": "7 6" })), ), h("h3", "", "Drop invoices here"), h("p", "", "PDF or CSV, up to 10 MB each. We read the totals and dates for you."), h("button", "pick", $({ type: "button" }), "Browse files"), ), css: `& { background: transparent; text-align: center; padding: 26px 20px; } & .edge { position: absolute; inset: 1px; width: calc(100% - 2px); height: calc(100% - 2px); overflow: visible; pointer-events: none; } & .edge rect { animation: K-march 1.6s linear infinite; } @keyframes K-march { to { stroke-dashoffset: -26; } } & .pick { min-height: 40px; margin-top: 14px; padding: 0 16px; border: 0; border-radius: 10px; background: #ecfdf5; color: #064e3b; font: inherit; font-weight: 600; cursor: pointer; } & .pick:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #6ee7b7; outline-offset: 3px; }`, }, { f: "glow", name: "Edge with a soft glow", how: "Two pseudo-elements share one gradient: one sharp for the edge, one blurred for the glow.", node: h("article", "", h("div", "body", h("p", "eyebrow", "Active teams"), h("p", "stat", "1,284"), h("p", "", "Up 86 on last month, mostly from the referral link."), ), ), css: `& { isolation: isolate; padding: 0; background: none; } &::before, &::after { content: ""; position: absolute; inset: -1.5px; z-index: -1; border-radius: 17.5px; background: linear-gradient(140deg, #34d399, #0ea5e9 60%, #6366f1); } &::after { inset: 4px; filter: blur(18px); opacity: .55; z-index: -2; } & .body { position: relative; padding: 20px; border-radius: inherit; background: #16181d; } & .stat { margin: 0; color: #fff; font-size: 34px; font-weight: 650; letter-spacing: -.03em; font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums; }`, }, { f: "glow", name: "Rotating conic border", how: "@property makes the conic start angle animatable, so the colours turn around the edge.", node: h("article", "", h("p", "eyebrow", "Now syncing"), h("h3", "", "Shared calendar, 3 of 5 sources"), h("div", "bar", $({ role: "progressbar", "aria-label": "Sync progress", "aria-valuenow": "60", "aria-valuemin": "0", "aria-valuemax": "100" }), h("span", "")), h("p", "", "Room bookings and holidays are in. Rotas arrive next."), ), css: `@property --K-a { syntax: ""; inherits: false; initial-value: 0deg; } & { border: 2px solid transparent; background: linear-gradient(#16181d, #16181d) padding-box, conic-gradient(from var(--K-a), #6366f1, #22d3ee, #a3e635, #6366f1) border-box; animation: K-turn 5s linear infinite; } @keyframes K-turn { to { --K-a: 360deg; } } & .bar { height: 6px; margin-top: 14px; border-radius: 999px; background: #262a33; overflow: hidden; } & .bar span { display: block; width: 60%; height: 100%; border-radius: inherit; background: linear-gradient(90deg, #6366f1, #22d3ee); }`, }, { f: "glow", name: "Light that runs the edge", how: "A mostly transparent conic gradient leaves one bright arc; a blurred copy behind it adds the glow.", node: h("article", "", h("div", "body", h("p", "eyebrow", "Deploy preview"), h("h3", "", "checkout-redesign"), h("p", "", "Built in 48 seconds. Two pages changed, no new warnings."), h("a", "open", $({ href: "#" }), "Open preview"), ), ), css: `@property --K-a { syntax: ""; inherits: false; initial-value: 0deg; } & { isolation: isolate; padding: 0; background: none; } &::before, &::after { content: ""; position: absolute; inset: -1.5px; z-index: -1; border-radius: 17.5px; background: conic-gradient(from var(--K-a), #2a2e37 0 62%, #f97316 80%, #fde047 90%, #2a2e37 100%); animation: K-turn 3.2s linear infinite; } &::after { z-index: -2; filter: blur(16px); opacity: .6; } @keyframes K-turn { to { --K-a: 360deg; } } & .body { position: relative; padding: 20px; border-radius: inherit; background: #16181d; } & .open { display: inline-flex; align-items: center; min-height: 40px; margin-top: 8px; color: #fdba74; font-weight: 600; text-decoration: none; } & .open:hover { text-decoration: underline; } & .open:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #fdba74; outline-offset: 2px; }`, }, { f: "focus", name: "Gradient edge on focus", how: ":focus-within swaps a plain border for the padding-box and border-box gradient while the field is in use.", node: h("form", "", $({ action: "#" }), h("label", "", $({ for: "K-email" }), "Invite a teammate"), h("div", "field", h("input", "", $({ id: "K-email", type: "email", name: "email", placeholder: "name@company.com", autocomplete: "email" })), h("button", "", $({ type: "submit" }), "Invite"), ), h("p", "", "They get view access until you change it."), ), css: `& label { display: block; margin-bottom: 8px; color: #fff; font-weight: 600; } & .field { display: flex; gap: 6px; padding: 4px; border: 1.5px solid #343944; border-radius: 12px; background: #101216; transition: border-color .2s ease; } & .field:focus-within { border-color: transparent; background: linear-gradient(#101216, #101216) padding-box, linear-gradient(90deg, #f43f5e, #f59e0b) border-box; } & input { flex: 1; min-width: 0; min-height: 40px; padding: 0 10px; border: 0; background: transparent; color: #fff; font: inherit; outline: none; } & input::placeholder { color: #8b919e; } & button { min-height: 40px; padding: 0 14px; border: 0; border-radius: 9px; background: #fde68a; color: #422006; font: inherit; font-weight: 600; cursor: pointer; } & button:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #fde68a; outline-offset: 2px; }`, }, { f: "tailwind", name: "Tailwind padding-box utility", how: "An arbitrary background property carries both layers; border-transparent leaves room for the gradient.", node: h("article", "w-full max-w-[290px] rounded-2xl border-2 border-transparent p-5 text-[14px] text-slate-300 [background:linear-gradient(#16181d,#16181d)_padding-box,linear-gradient(120deg,#f43f5e,#f59e0b)_border-box]", h("div", "flex items-center gap-3", h("span", "grid h-11 w-11 place-items-center rounded-full bg-rose-950 text-[13px] font-bold text-rose-200", $({ "aria-hidden": "true" }), "IV"), h("div", "", h("h3", "text-[16px] font-semibold text-white", "Ines Varga"), h("p", "text-[13px] text-slate-400", "Lead designer, Northfield"), ), ), h("p", "mt-4 leading-relaxed", "Reviews pull requests on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Ping in the design channel for anything urgent."), ), }, { f: "tailwind", name: "Tailwind wrapper with p-px", how: "A gradient parent with one pixel of padding and an inner panel one pixel less rounded.", node: h("div", "w-full max-w-[290px] rounded-2xl bg-gradient-to-br from-emerald-400 via-teal-500 to-sky-600 p-px", h("div", "rounded-[15px] bg-[#16181d] p-5 text-[14px] text-slate-300", h("span", "inline-flex rounded-full bg-emerald-950 px-2.5 py-1 text-[11px] font-semibold uppercase tracking-wider text-emerald-300", "Most chosen"), h("h3", "mt-3 text-[16px] font-semibold text-white", "Team workspace"), h("p", "mt-1 text-slate-400", "Ten editors, shared brand kit and approvals before anything goes live."), h("a", "mt-4 flex min-h-[42px] items-center justify-center rounded-xl bg-emerald-300 font-semibold text-emerald-950 hover:bg-emerald-200 focus-visible:outline-none focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-emerald-300 focus-visible:ring-offset-2 focus-visible:ring-offset-[#16181d]", $({ href: "#" }), "Choose Team"), ), ), }, ]; const ALL: Item[] = (Object.keys(FAMILIES) as FamilyKey[]).flatMap((f) => ITEMS.filter((it) => it.f === f)); /* ---------- rendering ---------- */ const VOID = new Set(["input", "br", "img", "stop", "rect", "path", "circle"]); const JSX_ATTR: Record = { for: "htmlFor", autocomplete: "autoComplete", tabindex: "tabIndex", viewbox: "viewBox" }; const reactKey = (k: string) => (k.startsWith("aria-") || k.startsWith("data-") ? k : JSX_ATTR[k] ?? k.replace(/-([a-z])/g, (_, c: string) => c.toUpperCase())); const escHtml = (s: string) => s.replace(/&/g, "&").replace(//g, ">"); const scope = (css: string, sel: string, kf: string) => css.replace(/&/g, sel).replace(/\bK-/g, `${kf}-`); const subK = (s: string, kf: string) => s.replace(/\bK-/g, `${kf}-`); function toReact(n: N, key: string | number, kf: string, rootCls?: string): ReactNode { if (typeof n === "string") return n; const props: Record = { key }; const cls = rootCls ?? n.c; if (cls) props.className = cls; for (const [k, v] of Object.entries(n.a ?? {})) props[reactKey(k)] = subK(v, kf); return createElement(n.t, props, ...(VOID.has(n.t) ? [] : n.k.map((k, i) => toReact(k, i, kf)))); } function serial(n: N, depth: number, kf: string, rootCls?: string): string { const pad = " ".repeat(depth); if (typeof n === "string") return pad + escHtml(n); const attrs: string[] = []; const cls = rootCls ?? n.c; if (cls) attrs.push(`class="${cls}"`); for (const [k, v] of Object.entries(n.a ?? {})) attrs.push(`${k}="${subK(v, kf)}"`); const open = `<${n.t}${attrs.length ? " " + attrs.join(" ") : ""}`; if (VOID.has(n.t) && !n.k.length) return n.t === "input" || n.t === "br" || n.t === "img" ? `${pad}${open}>` : `${pad}${open} />`; if (n.k.every((k) => typeof k === "string")) return `${pad}${open}>${n.k.map((k) => serial(k, 0, kf)).join("")}`; return `${pad}${open}>\n${n.k.map((k) => serial(k, depth + 1, kf)).join("\n")}\n${pad}`; } function snippetFor(it: Item): string { if (!it.css) return serial(it.node, 0, "card") + "\n"; return `${serial(it.node, 0, "card", "gradient-card")}\n\n\n`; } /* ---------- reference table ---------- */ const COMPARE: { tech: string; round: string; clear: string; anim: string; note: string }[] = [ { tech: "border-image", round: "No", clear: "Yes", anim: "With @property", note: "Shortest code. Corners are square because border-radius has no effect once border-image is set." }, { tech: "padding-box + border-box", round: "Yes", clear: "No", anim: "With @property", note: "One element, no pseudo-elements. The inner fill must be a solid colour or its own gradient." }, { tech: "Gradient wrapper", round: "Yes", clear: "No", anim: "Yes", note: "Extra element, works everywhere. Inner radius is the outer radius minus the border width." }, { tech: "Mask on ::before", round: "Yes", clear: "Yes", anim: "Yes", note: "Needs the -webkit-mask-composite: xor line as well as mask-composite: exclude for older WebKit." }, { tech: "SVG rect stroke", round: "Yes", clear: "Yes", anim: "Yes", note: "The only option here that also does dashes and dotted edges with a gradient." }, { tech: "Pseudo-element + blur", round: "Yes", clear: "No", anim: "With @property", note: "Adds glow. Put isolation: isolate on the card so negative z-index layers stay inside it." }, ]; const COPY_ICON = "M9 9h11v11H9zM5 15H4V4h11v1"; const FAMILY_KEYS = Object.keys(FAMILIES) as FamilyKey[]; export default function CssGradientBorderCollection() { const [family, setFamily] = useState("all"); const [open, setOpen] = useState(null); const [copied, setCopied] = useState(null); const [announce, setAnnounce] = useState(""); const timer = useRef | null>(null); const styleSheet = useMemo( () => ALL.map((it, i) => (it.css ? `${scope(BASE, `.gb-i${i}`, `gb${i}`)}\n${scope(it.css, `.gb-i${i}`, `gb${i}`)}` : "")).join("\n"), [], ); const visible = ALL.map((it, i) => ({ it, i })).filter(({ it }) => family === "all" || it.f === family); async function copy(i: number) { let ok = false; try { await navigator.clipboard.writeText(snippetFor(ALL[i])); ok = true; } catch { ok = false; } if (!ok) setOpen(i); setCopied(ok ? i : null); setAnnounce(ok ? `${ALL[i].name} code copied` : "Copy was blocked, the code is shown below the piece so you can select it"); if (timer.current) clearTimeout(timer.current); timer.current = setTimeout(() => setCopied(null), 1600); } const chip = "inline-flex min-h-[40px] items-center gap-1.5 whitespace-nowrap rounded-full px-3.5 text-[13px] font-medium transition-colors focus-visible:outline-none focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-amber-300 focus-visible:ring-offset-2 focus-visible:ring-offset-[#0b0c0f]"; return (

CSS and Tailwind ยท copy and paste

{ALL.length} ways to draw a gradient border

Each card names its technique and what it trades away. Copy gives you the HTML with its style block, or the Tailwind markup, exactly as rendered here.

{(["all", ...FAMILY_KEYS] as const).map((f) => { const on = family === f; return ( ); })}

{announce}

    {visible.map(({ it, i }) => { const isOpen = open === i; return (
  • {toReact(it.node, "root", `gb${i}`, it.css ? `gb-i${i}` : undefined)}

    {it.name}

    {it.css ? "CSS" : "Tailwind"}

    {it.how}

    {isOpen && ( 
                          {snippetFor(it)}
    )}
    • ); })}

Which technique to pick

{COMPARE.map((r) => ( ))}
Gradient border techniques compared
Technique Rounded See-through middle Animate the colours Worth knowing
{r.tech} {r.round} {r.clear} {r.anim} {r.note}
); } ```